Heiva i Reno 2009 moves up their date

Moving from their traditionally annual August date, organizers of the Heiva i Reno 2009 have announced their dates for this year to be July 24-25, 2009.

2008 Heiva i Reno results

Results were released recently for the 2008 Heiva i Reno via their website. Activities took place once again in Reno, Nevada.

Soloist Results - Junior Division

4-6 Tamahine
1. Hailey Hernandez of Nemenzo
2. Malia Heeren of Merahi O Tehani
3. Amari-Lynn N. Brown of Te Mau Tamari'i a Tiare
4. Jazzy Bugarin of Merahi O Tehani
5. Kaili Low of Te Mau Tamari'i a Tiare

7-9 Tamahine
1. Lorie Anne Pamatmat of Da Island Way
2. Katie Cheung of Te Pura O Te Rahura'a
3. Leilani Sabit of Te Pura O Te Rahura'a
4. Daylena Principe of Da Island Way
5. Keoni Gavieres of Da Island Way
6. Jennifer Matstumoto of Na Hoku Mai Kanoelani

7-9 Tamaroa
1. Jason Wong of 'Ote'a 'Api
2. Noah DeJesus of 'Ote'a 'Api
3. Jaedyn Kalani Foronda of Na Hoku Mai Kanoelani

10-12 Tamahine
1. Katie Edralin of Te Orama
2. Sabrina Martinez of Te Pura O Te Rahura'a
3. Avangeline Balingit of Te Pura O Te Rahura'a
4. Jessica Briones of Te Pura O Te Rahura'a
5. Aaliyah Rodriguez of Da Island Way
6. Destyn Hernandez-Bravo of Te Mau Tamari'i a Tiare

10-12 Tamaroa
1. Kyle DeJesus of 'Ote'a 'Api
2. Kolton Ready of 'Ote'a 'Api
3. Brandon Moore of Te Mau Ta'ata Anuanua
4. Dean Trias of Te Mau Tamari'i a Tiare


Soloist Results - Senior Division

13-15 Vahine
1. Kalei Tanaka of Teoraroa 'Ote'a
2. Heiti Schofield of Teoraroa 'Ote'a
3. Kapua Tanaka of Teoraroa 'Ote'a
4. Alexandra Mariano of Te Pura O Te Rahura'a
5. Janae Protheroe of Da Island Way
6. Ashton Beltrami of Te Orama

13-15 Tane
1. Anthony Petersen of Nemenzo
2. Trevor Manaois of 'Ote'a 'Api
3. Joshua Garcia of Nemenzo
4. Anthony Moore of Te Mau Ta'ata Anuanua

16-18 Vahine
1. Angelique Bannag of Nemenzo
2. Kristine Sanchez of Te Pura O Te Rahura'a
3. Anita Jimenez of Da Island Way
4. Christina Salazar of Da Island Way
5. Malia Goossens of Te Mau Tamari'i a Tiare
6. Juliette Manaois of 'Ote'a 'Api

16-18 Tane
1. Francisco Cano of Hui Tama Nui
2. Tallon Pedregosa of Na Hoku Mai Kanoelani
3. Logan Lazaro of Na Hoku Mai Kanoelani
4. Djaron Viray of Nemenzo
5. Ryan Samm of Nemenzo

19-24 Vahine
1. Michelle Baker of Nemenzo
2. Shanna Pineda of Te Pura O Te Rahura'a
3. Jacqueline Garcia of Te Mau Ta'ata Anuanua
4. Justine Yee of Da Island Way
5. Karin Carido of Te Poe Rava
6. Grace Siador of Na Hoku Mai Kanoelani

19-24 Tane
1. Justin Atangan of Nemenzo
2. Sonny Shwe of Nemenzo
3. Rio Lazaro of Na Hoku Mai Kanoelani

25 and Up Vahine
1. Evlyn Bustamante of Da Island Way
2. Jessica Acosta of Te Pura O Te Rahura'a
3. Desiree Woodward-Lee of Nemenzo
4. Rhea Nunez of Makamae Melia 'O Polynesia
5. berenice Costales of Kawaikini
6. Anuenue Mose of Lumana'i O Polynesia

25 and Up Tane
1. Charlie Curammeng of 'Ote'a 'Api
2. Joseph Saligao of Te Pura O te Rahura'a
3. Don Jose of Na Hoku Mai Kanoelani


Overall Awards

Junior Division - Tamahine
Lori Anne Pamatmat of Da Island Way

Junior Division - Tamaroa
Kyle DeJesus of 'Ote'a 'Api

Senior Division - Vahine
Evlyn Bustamante of Da Island Way

Senior Division - Tane
Charlie Curammeng of 'Ote'a 'Api


Group Awards

Mehara Music Award
Te Orama - Directed by Malu Rivera-Peoples

Mehara Costume Award
Nemenzo - Directed by Elizabeth Bertumen

Mehara Ra'atira Award
Nemenzo - Directed by Elizabeth Bertumen

Mehara Couples Award
1. Nemenzo - Directed by Elizabeth Bertumen
2. Te Orama - Directed by Malu Rivera-Peoples
3. Kawaikini - Directed by Yvonne Trujillo

Mehara Pauline Dexter Award
Nemenzo - Directed by Elizabeth Bertumen

Heiva i Reno 2008

On Friday, August 1st, Heiva i Reno will celebrate it's 10th year of Tahitian dance. Soloist and groups will compete to the theme of "Mehara" or memory. Organizers are looking to theme the event to a time when Tahitian dance was more "simple, innocent and beautiful."

Activities will be held at the Silver Legacy Hotel & Casino in Reno, Nevada. Doors open at 9:00am and tickets are $15 general seating and $20 for reserved seating.

New updates for 2008 Tahitian dance events

Mele Kalikimaka. As you take in the hustle & bustle, excitement, music and thoughts this holiday season, you might have noticed that we didn't update as often. It's been a busy season for our online store and it's kept us away for a bit. But now that Christmas has passed and our load is a little lighter, we're back to updating and bringing the latest info about the upcoming events. Tahitian events are gearing up for 2008.

New event updates include the Fano Maohi, Heiva i Reno, Heiva i Maui and the Tahiti Fete of Utah. With most events now updated with confirmed dates, 2008 is shaping up to be a banner year with more events and more opportunity for groups around the nation. With the amount of groups who are increasingly finding our directory/calendar, comes more convenience for groups to schedule their events and attract dancers to participate.

Fano Maohi marketing manager, Danny Tupua has recently advised us of the new 2008 date. Moving from July to April, this year's event is one of the first of the year. The Fano Maohi Heiva will run from April 25-26, 2008 in Salt Lake City, Utah at Granite Park High.

Utah's other Tahitian dance competition, Tahiti Fete of Utah, has also announced their 2008 date. The 4th annual event will take place October 16-18, 2008 in West Valley City. Details about the activities will be forthcoming. This past year, the event was free to the public.

Heiva i Reno will take place on August 1, 2008. The event will be 1 day. A second day (August 2) will feature Hawaiian Hula.

2007 Heiva I Reno group results

The group competition results for the 2007 Heiva I Reno have been hard to find but we finally were able to locate a source who had most of the information.

Group Competition
Ta'ata Pa'ari Overall
1. Hui Tama Nui of Vallejo, CA

Ta'ata Pa'ari Otea
1. Hui Tama Nui of Vallejo, CA
2. Manava Polynesia of Fountain Valley, CA
3. Te Mau Ta'ata Anuanua of Merced, CA

Jr. Otea
1. Manava Polynesia of Fountain Valley, CA
2. Hui Tama Nui of Vallejo, CA
3. Motu'aina of Danville, CA

Ta'ata Pa'ari Aparima
1. Hui Tama Nui of Vallejo, CA
2. Manava Polynesia of Fountain Valley, CA
3. Motu'aina of Danville, CA

Jr. Aparima
1. Hui Tama Nui of Vallejo, CA
2. Manava Polynesia of Fountain Valley, CA
3. Motu'aina of Danville, CA

Couples
1. Hui Tama Nui of Vallejo, CA
2. Nemenzo of Daly City, CA
3. E Honu Iti E of Tracy, CA

Contemporary Drumming
1. Hui Tama Nui of Vallejo, CA

Traditional Drumming
1. Manava Polynesia of Fountain Valley, CA

Language
1. Hui Tama Nui of Vallejo, CA

Costume
1. Hui Tama Nui of Vallejo, CA

Music
1. Hui Tama Nui of Vallejo, CA

Theme
1. Hui Tama Nui of Vallejo, CA

Leadership
1. Hui Tama Nui of Vallejo, CA

Participating Groups
E Honu Iti E of Tracy, CA
Hiva Nui of Stockton, CA
Hui Tama Nui of Vallejo, CA
Makamae Melia O Polynesia of Elk Grove, CA
Manava Polynesia of Fountain Valley, CA
Motu'aina of Danville, CA
Nemenzo of Daly City, CA
Na Hoku Mai Kanoelani of Stockton, CA
Ote'a Api of Reno, NV
Te Mau Ta'ata Anuanua of Merced, CA

Results for the 2007 Heiva I Reno

Hui Tama Nui of Vallejo, CA showed why it is a leader in the Tahitian dance community. With strong performances in all categories, the group took 1st place in the overall group competition. All groups participating were able to shine including Nemenzo, Motu'aina, Manava Polynesia and E Honu Iti E.

The Heiva are in full swing with 6 more (not including this weekend's Heiva I Maui) scheduled for 2007. Heiva I Reno, hosted by the Reno Grand Sierra Resort, featured solo and group competition in the resorts' Silver Pavillion. The competition ran from August 3-4, 2007 and featured $2,500 for the dance group grand prize. Entrants competed in otea, aparima, drumming and featured a couples competition. Results for the group and couples categories are posted below. A new photo gallery is now available as well at Gyme Images. Solo results will be posted when they become available.

Couples Competition
1. Hui Tama Nui of Vallejo, CA
2. Nemenzo of Daly City, CA
3. E Honu Iti E of Tracy, CA

Group Competition
Ta'ata Pa'ari Overall
1. Hui Tama Nui of Vallejo, CA

Tamari'i/Jr. Aparima
1. Hui Tama Nui of Vallejo, CA
2. Manava Polynesia of Fountain Valley, CA
3. Motu'aina of Danville, CA



Ta'ata Pa'ari Aparima
1. Hui Tama Nui of Vallejo, CA
2. (tie) Motu'aina of Danville, CA
2. (tie) Manava Polynesia of Fountain Valley, CA

Tamari'i/Jr. Otea
1. Manava Polynesia of Fountain Valley, CA
2. Hui Tama Nui of Vallejo, CA
3. Motu'aina of Danville, CA

Ta'ata Pa'ari Otea
1. Hui Tama Nui of Vallejo, CA
2. Manava Polynesia of Fountain Valley, CA

Traditional Drumming
1. Manava Polynesia of Fountain Valley, CA

Contemporary Drumming
1. Hui Tama Nui of Vallejo, CA

Hui Tama Nui also received honors for outstanding costuming, leadership, theme, music and use of the Tahitian language.